The product used by the hospitality industry, including hotels, clubs and restaurants, for absorbing liquids spilled on bar tops is generally in the form of strips of cotton towelling.
Problems experienced by hotel operators with the towelling product is that it slips on the work surface. It also wrinkles, bunches up in an unsightly appearance and presents an unstable surface where glasses may topple over, spilling the contents. Towelling tends to lose color and shrink in the washing process, further detracting from its appearance and presentation of the bar.
In addition, when the towelling product carries a printed brand message, there is a loss of color, shrinkage and creasing which greatly detracts from the brand image and diminishes the investment value for the brand owner.
It is also known to have floor mats which may have a rubber backing and a top tufted pile of some 2 or more centimeters or alternatively a plurality of upwardly extending rubber fingers. However, such articles are used as floor mats with the upper layer having a physical mode of operation of brushing dirt, mud or the like from soles of shoes and allowing the residue dirt to fall within the spaces between the fingers or tufts of carpet. In essence, such a structure is like a form of an upturned brush, is not liquid absorbent and does not provide a stable surface. Such an article is therefore not practical or useable as table or counter mats.